Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment when Harry Burn, a 24-year-old Tennessee legislator, switched his vote at the urging of his mother, according to the National Constitution Center.
The certification of the 19th Amendment was on Aug. 26, 1920. In 1973, the United States Congress officially designated Aug. 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
The League of Women Voters and Texas Women’s Foundation will celebrate it on Wednesday at noon at Dallas City Hall. Attendees at the sold-out event are asked to wear purple — the color of equality.
For suffragists though, the color was white, which was on display on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, when Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president.
On Thursday night, white suits and white dresses filled the Chicago arena, as women dressed to honor the legacy of suffragists who fought to give women the right to vote — and to celebrate the first Black and Indian American woman to become a major party’s nominee.
“Wearing white today reminds everybody that this is women on the move, women who have suffered, who are now taking their rightful place in leadership of Democratic Party politics in a profound way,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who wore a white pantsuit over a colorful blouse, told the Los Angeles Times.
In 2020, the 100th anniversary coincided with the Republican National Convention.
Then-first lady Melania Trump unveiled an art exhibit at the White House based on works by children from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. She called the adoption of the 19th Amendment a “turning point” in the women’s rights movement.
According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, as of 2024:
- 11 women hold Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions
- 4 are U.S. Supreme Court justices
- 25 (25%) serve in the U.S. Senate
- 125 (28.7%) serve in the U.S. House of Representatives
- 12 are governors
- 22 are lieutenant governors
- 2,426 (32.8%) serve in state legislatures
- 56 (30.9%) are in the Texas Legislature
The Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press contributed to this report.